Expensive Seats At 49ers New Stadium Close To Sold Out

At a whopping $80,000 apiece, the priciest seats in the 49ers’ new Silicon Valley stadium get you exclusive access to stand behind coach Jim Harbaugh during home games as well as tickets to see the Niners play in the Super Bowl on Sunday.

As Niners fever reaches its apex just days before the big game, the team said Wednesday it has sold 95 percent of the 900 primo club seats that are the second most expensive in all of U.S. sports, behind only the $150,000 seats at the Dallas Cowboys’ new sports palace. The 49ers’ final few dozen $80,000 seats are expected to sell out within weeks.

The team has sold $68 million in seat licenses for its priciest section at the 50-yard line, which equals about half the 49ers’ current player payroll. That may come as a surprise to some fans who laughed or rolled their eyes when the team one year ago released seat prices, which can compare to the cost of a house in some states.

Other NFL stadiums have opened without selling all of their priciest seats — most recently, the New York Giants’ and Jets’ MetLife Stadium in 2009 — yet the new Santa Clara stadium is still a year and a half away from opening.

“Once the Niners went on the run, we certainly saw a spike in sales,” said Al Guido, who is leading the team’s sales effort. But “the 49ers have an extremely passionate fan base, and that dates back prior to this run.”